Starter Homes: Cork properties on sale for €345,000 or less

Homes for first time buyers to consider across Cork city, Rochestown, Bandon and Cloghduv

Mon, 20 Mar, 2023 - 20:53

Trish Dromey

Boreenmanna Road, Cork city
€280,000
Size	108 sq m (1,162 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	3
BER	B

In making a comfortable home for themselves in their three-bed duplex at 26 Elderwood Avenue on Boreenmanna Road, the owners have upgraded the interior and filled their patio garden with pot plants.

Seeking offers of €280,000, Der O’Riordan of Barry auctioneers says the house has upgraded floors and kitchen units and is well-maintained.

Accommodation includes a kitchen, a living room, a guest WC, a bathroom, and three bedrooms (one ensuite). It has a tiled patio garden and a small decked balcony.

26 Elderwood Ave, Boreenmanna Road, Cork

VERDICT: Has good space, a high B1 BER and is within a 30-minute walk from the city centre, so it should be set for busy viewings.

Rochestown, Cork
€345,000
Size	89 sq m (960 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	3
BER	B3

A modern well-maintained three-bed house with a good B3 BER, No 14 Carmen Lawn at Belmont in Rochestown is set to stir up interest among first-time buyers.

Listing the selling point for a 2006-built end-of-terrace house, Brian Olden of Cohalan Downing says it’s in immaculate condition, is well situated in a popular residential suburb and has an unexpectedly long south-facing back garden.

“It’s around 60 ft long, which is good for a terraced property,” says Mr Olden, quoting a guide of €345,000.

Offering 89 sq m of living space, it has a timber-floored living room with a fireplace and an insert stove at the front and, at the rear, a modern tiled kitchen diner with cream units. Off the hallway there’s a guest WC and upstairs, there’s a bathroom and three bedrooms including one with an en suite.

The house has two parking spaces at the front while the long garden at the rear is lawned and has a patio, a shed, and good playing space.

Overlooking a large green area in the middle, the Carmen Lawn estate of 29 houses is within a short walk from local amenities including Garryduff Sports Centre, while Douglas village is 3km away.

The fact that the adjoining property, No 15, a mid-terrace three-bed house, sold for €350,000 in February (€30,000 above its guide), seems to indicate that this should sell well.

VERDICT: A modern home with a good energy rating in a popular spot.

Bandon, Co Cork
€270,000
Size	97 sq m (1,044 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	3
BER	C2

Offers of €270,000 are being sought for 16 Thornfields — a three-bed semi-d located at Kilbrogan, 1.5km from Bandon town centre.

Built in 2004, it’s a former rental property in need of some TLC and updating but, according to Majella Galvin of DNG Galvin, would make an excellent starter home.

Its 97 sq m of living space includes a kitchen diner, a living room, and a guest WC as well as a bathroom andthree bedrooms, with one ensuite.

VERDICT: Located 23km from Bishopstown, it could attract a city buyer.

Cloughduv, Co Cork
€285,000
Size	119 sq m (1,280 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	3
BER	B3

This attractive modern three-bed semi at No 2 Cois Cille in Cloughduv, Cork, could tick quite a lot of boxes for a buyer in search of a first home.

The €285,000 guide is in the right ballpark for most, the B3 BER is desirable, and the condition and amount of space on offer seem all a young couple could wish for.

“It has 119 sq metres of accommodation and has been finished and decorated to a high standard,” says Jason O’Regan of O’Mahony Walsh auctioneers, explaining that the owners have done a lot to it since buying it new in 2004.

“In 2010 they pumped the cavity walls and insulated the attic to improve energy efficiency,” he says, adding that they replaced floors and doors downstairs, fitted new bedroom units and a stove, and also reconditioned the staircase, which now has a glass balustrade instead of spindles and an office/desk space underneath it.

Located in a development of just 15 houses, the property is close to local amenities including Cloughduv GAA club and is 15km or a 15-minute drive from Ballincollig, and a 20-minute trip from Bishopstown.

Painted blue on the outside, it has a new green composite door and a hallway with desk space under the stairs.

At the front, there’s a living room with a fireplace and a stove and, at the rear, a spacious kitchen/diner with cream units.